Sometimes, I Lie – a Valentine's Fairy Tale
by NicolinaN
Summary: A sort of sequel to 'We'll Talk Again'. Jackson shows up at Lisa's doorstep. Does he want the same as she? What does he really mean by 'steal? Warnings for fluff... sort of... or slightly angsty fluff... :P
1. Never Say Never Again

**Disclaimer: **Please Mr. Craven, I've been good lately… can't I own Jackson? Please? No? Just for Valentine's Day? Darn! OK, then, I don't own Jackson, or Lisa, or the Red Eye. I'm just playing with the beautiful characters.

**Author's Note:** Hey everybody. :) Yeah, my intentions to write something original took a great beginning… and then I started to write something new J/L and on top of that a Chronicles of Riddick-piece, and now this… I'm no good at keeping focus! Kaikamahine Mai Hawai'i … inspired me when she posted her disappearing-reappearing Valentine's fic, and I thought: now THAT's a great idea! The Valentine part of it, that is...

This is based off of the ending of 'We'll Talk Again' – a fic I'm not particularly proud of, it definitely needs some re-working, but nevertheless, this is the Jackson and Lisa I portrayed in there; with some violent interactions, a desperate Jackson with an axe over his head to get the job done, a slight undertone of romance, and a bittersweet ending… That was where the last story ended, a quicky for those of you who haven't read it, or just don't feel like reading it.

This is where the new story begins:

-

**Sometimes, I Lie – a Valentine's Fairy Tale**

**Part I Never Say Never Again**

-

"I told you I'd leave... I lied." His voice was soft, slightly raspy, and barely above a whisper.

_God! Oh no!_

Lisa paled and took a step back from the door. Her legs shook. Instincts told her to slam the door shut in his face and run for the phone. Instincts told her to pull him close and never let him out of her sight again. But she couldn't move; it seemed as only her heart was alive in her otherwise stunned body.

"You…" she croaked.

The doorbell had rung and since Lisa was expecting Cynthia for a quiet Friday night, celebrating their single statuses on Valentine's Day, with some popcorn, their good old friends Ben&Jerry and a couple of episodes of 'I Love Lucy', she had smilingly run to the door and pulled it open.

It hadn't been the cheerful redhead who had as of lately become her good friend, though. It had been a lean man with haunted eyes and tousled hair who had been leaning coolly against the door frame, his icy blue gaze sending shivers of instant fear and a rush of frenzied memories through her.

_A late night flight -__an innocent flirt with __a foreigner with __an incredibly__ sincere smile__ and beautiful eyes who seemed to know __the depths of her soul -__ hours of hurt and fright as the same man had transformed into his true self:__ an assassin, using her to get to a politician who would stay at the hotel where she worked, threatening to kill her father if she didn't __comply__ - an escape -__ a successful __interruption of his plans where she had beat him, his plans as well as purely physical__ – an attempt at revenge from his part where he __had come__ to her house and __had __tried to kill her - a fight - a final truce of sorts where he left her alone.__ Forever, __she'd __thought._

Except forever hadn't lasted that long. It had been seven months since Jackson had knocked on her door the last time. And now he stood before her again. On the 14:th of February of all days. On a day for lovers. Not enemies.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking about him.

She had.

A lot.

And she'd tried her damned best to try not to.

Lisa licked her lips and glanced at his mouth before her eyes darted to meet his gaze again. A rush of warmth made her chest feel too tight. _You kissed me! _

"You're staring," he said.

"I didn't expect you," she countered. _That was __THE__ understatement of the year!_

"Aren't you gonna invite me in?" he asked cockily, raising an eyebrow.

She still stared in disbelief at the man who had hurt her so much, the man she should fear more than death itself, and who still made her heart tremble in anticipation. "Ahm…" Numbly, she stepped aside slightly so he could pass her. "I shouldn't," she added as he passed close by her into the dark hallway, taking up her whole vision.

He pulled the door closed behind him and locked it with a sharp snap of metal. "No, you shouldn't."

She was still unable to move from the spot where her feet seemed to have set roots. "What are you doing here?" And then a horrifying thought struck her: "You need me to get someone killed again!" She hadn't intended to sound so fierce, but her voice suddenly carried the sharpness of a knife's edge.

Jackson regarded her as his face twisted into a sneer. "You've proved yourself to be completely useless to me twice, Leese. Why the hell would I wanna go through all that trouble again?"

He towered her in the narrow room. She wanted to take a step back and give herself some breathing space, but she didn't want to give in to his mind games. She'd been there before and she'd be damned if she'd let him have the upper hand. Putting her hands on her hips she glared up in his face, yet again struck by his amazingly beautiful features and the wicked glint in his eyes that made her stomach clench with uncertainty.

"Yeah, why would you, Jack!? Why are you here?"

Before she could react, she was slammed into the opposite wall with his hand squeezing her chin, his face mere inches from hers.

"For dear life, Leese, or for fucking old times' sake! Don't. Use. That. Name!" His lips twisted into a sneer and his eyes flashed.

_Jesus! Why do I have to push all his button__s __at once __whenever we meet?_

She wanted to say that she was sorry, but she couldn't. She had wanted to hurt him, to get back at him for all the pain he'd put her through.

Time froze as they stared at each other. Lisa's gaze darted between his still pursed lips and his eyes that made her heart beat even faster. The hard lines around his mouth softened slightly and his other hand came up and stroked a few tresses of hair off of her forehead. Lisa closed her eyes and couldn't stop herself from leaning ever so slightly into the soft touch.

"Please…"

"Please what?" he asked softly.

"Ahm… what do you want?"

He let go of her chin and she opened her eyes. The look on his face was so serious, and his eyes so dark with unspoken emotions, that it made her breath hitch in her chest.

He sighed, took a step back and pulled a hand through his hair, a brief look of a completely lost boy escaping his features; like the innocent boy he once must've been. Before.

"What do I want? I've been around… doing things… unmentionable things… for the last half year… And I'm tired, Leese. Really tired. And I've been thinking about you… some. No." He shook his head. "A lot."

"Why?" Her throat suddenly felt so thick that her voice came out as a mere croak.

"Because you, Lisa, were the only one… who wouldn't fold." He shook his head. "No… that's not the only reason… that'd be a lie…" He turned fully towards her again and placed a palm against the wall next to her head. "I can't stop fucking thinking about you. You're in my head!" Suddenly taking a step back again, he then began pacing the small hallway with hasty, irritated movements. "I've been seriously considering putting an end to all this. A final solution. You know me; know what I'm talking about, right? Or do I have to spell it out?"

She shook her head mutely, both in slight fear as well as acknowledgement. _No, please. You don't have to… I think I'm all too well aware of what you're capable of, Jackson._

"Good." He stopped. "Truth is that I want you, Lisa. I want you badly."

_I want you too! __Or…__ No! I mean… God! _

"What's stopping you from just taking-" She swallowed hard. "-me?" Her lower lip trembled and she couldn't believe she had just challenged him like that. "I mean, you-"

Jackson was suddenly much too close again as he pressed her up against the wall, the full length of his body completely covering hers. He looked as if he was going to kill her… or kiss her, she couldn't decide which. Her ears turned burning hot from his closeness and she had to look away, his presence too demanding, too overwhelming. He clenched one of his hands into a tight fist in front of her and then opened it again, spreading his fingers like feathers before he let it drop out of her sight.

"I don't know," he sighed, the air seemingly leaving his body. "I don't know."

_Oh, Jackson… I've been thinking about you too…_

"Please," she whispered, and he jerked back, releasing her from the wall.

"Sure. Sorry."

She felt so naked where he had touched her, so cold where his body didn't warm hers any more, that it made her sway from the abrupt abandonment. _That wasn't what I meant…_

"Ehm…" she bit her lip. "Do you wanna come in?"

He grinned wolfishly at her; suddenly back to his cocky self again. "Don't you know what they say about inviting vampires? Once you do, they own the right to your blood."

Her heart raced at the mere implications and she swallowed hard to try to find her voice. "Well, lucky me that you're not a vampire then. Right?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

Lisa rushed to the kitchen, happy to have something to occupy her hands with. "Do you want something to drink," she shouted back at him, yelping when she found him right behind her.

"What've you got?" he asked lazily.

"Ehm… water, of course, milk, orange juice…" She pulled a cupboard open. "Vodka… whisk-" She inhaled sharply, stopping the rant, as he lay his hand over hers and stopped her movement. Then he stretched past her and grabbed the bottle of whisky, swirling the orange-brown content in the bottle as he pulled it out.

"I know my way, thanks," he smirked.

"You-" She felt her cheeks turn hot, and probably red. "That was… you shouldn't know your 'way' around here! That's just not fair! I don't know my way around YOUR place. Where IS your place by the way? As much as you hang here, you still have to have some shack somewhere to call home? I'd like to go there and pull your liquor out of your cupboards." She pouted her lips, and even more so when Jackson burst out into a barking laughter.

"You'd like to come to my place, huh? Well…" He strode closer until he had her pinned between the kitchen counter and himself. "Maybe that can be arranged…"

His face inched closer to hers until she felt his hot breath on her lips. Her heart pounded so hard that she could barely breathe. When his lips brushed hers, she quickly snapped her head to the side, gasping and staring rigidly into the wall, refusing to look at him.

When he moved away, she exhaled loudly and slid out of harms way, fetching two glasses for the drinks and escaping the kitchen altogether. She thought she heard him chuckle behind her.

Placing the glasses on the small table by the sofa, she watched as Jackson, who had followed her out of the kitchen, poured way too much of the amber fluid into them.

_Wanna__ get me drunk?_ Her heart fluttered at the thought, remembering the light feeling she'd had at the bar at the airport, where they'd talked, and flirted. When she'd still thought that he was a normal man. A good man. She'd been so wrong... _You're not a very good man, are you, Jack? _

Lisa took the glass and drank a too big gulp, grinning wildly at the strong and bitter taste. She felt his eyes on her the whole time.

"Sooo… You're not here to kill me."

"What makes you say that?"

She glared at him. "Last time, Ja- ck…son…" _Ohhh__, that was close!_ "You were most clear about your intentions. I remember a knife… you hitting me… and… Ah! You strangling me! That was pretty clear. Tonight you seem… not so clear."

"I know exactly why I'm here, Lisa." He sounded so serious that her eyes darted up to meet with his. When she didn't answer, he continued. "Remember back at the plane?"

She shuddered and drank her second big gulp. "I remember all too well."

"Remember what I said I'd do to you later on?"

She frowned and tried to get where he was going with this. "Can we just stop talking in riddles? I'm more into simple things… like 'Lisa, I'm not here to kill you.'"

Jackson snorted. "I said that I'd have to steal you, Lisa."

She nearly dropped he glass she was holding. The contents splashed up and spilled over her hand and down into her lap. "What?!" She almost had time to get up before he was on her.

"Sit!"

And with his warm hands on her knees, his blue eyes leveled with hers, and the spinning in her head, she could only watch and feel as his hands moved up along her thighs, stopping halfway, but still so close and far away at the same time. His right hand lifted the glass out of her hand and brought her wet and sticky fingers to his mouth. She didn't breathe as he parted his lips and let the tip of his tongue touch her whisky-saturated skin before he pulled her hand even closer and let his mouth close around her index and middle finger, tasting them, licking them; the warm, soft wetness sending off signals to an entirely different part of her body than the hand.

She was too stunned to protest. Then she remembered that he had been saying something important and she tried desperately to grasp what it had been, but it was lost.

He let go of her hand. Still crouching before her, he looked into her eyes. "I am not here to kill you, Lisa."

"Why?" Her voice was barely even a whisper. When he leaned closer, carrying a demand in his eyes, her mind screamed at her to run but her body refused to obey, and she remained right where she were; frozen in his embrace, hopeful and yet terrified. _Why?_

This time she didn't pull away when his lips touched hers; his sweet breath hot on her face, her heart a knot of longing and yearning from all the months of waiting.

-

**Author's Note 2:** Sorry that I had to split it... I have a life, believe it, or not. And I came up with this little idea just the day before yesterday so I haven't had the actual time to finish it. I'll try to as soon as I possibly can. I promise! And Happy Valetine's Day to all of you:D

/Nic.


	2. To Steal You Away

**Author's Notes: **Warnings for general sappiness and fluff... lots and lots of fluff... GAH! I don't DO cute::looks at 'Reciprocity' to calm my nerves:: That's more like it. I'm actually changing this from M to T. It turned out sweeter than I'd have thought... I guess they wanted to be really nice to each other after what I did to them in my last story... ;)

I've written this in... 4 days... from idea to finishing the posting. That is a new record for me, but I couldn't stop myself from the image of Jackson showing up at Valentine's Day... it had to be written.

_**SORRY! There is no chapter three! **_

_**This is being bumped once... it's because I've made some changes to the ending. Fleshed it out a little. I finished writing it at four am... and then I woke and wanted to add just a little. SO YOU WHO ALREADY READ: look at the last few paragraphs, after they wake up.**_

Until next time: Love, Nic.

**Part II ****To**** Steal You**

_Why? What a stupid __freakin__' question was that?!_

_Oh, God… you are so beautiful! __How can anyone…_

His eyes became a blue blur; his closeness, his scent, and his warmth interrupting her erratic thoughts. A soft mouth on hers sent vivid sparks flying through her chest. His lips kept tasting, nibbling, caressing, but still never fully kissing, as his hands slid up her thighs and gripped her hips, pulling her closer. Much closer. Lisa inhaled sharply when his warm fingers met with her skin under her blouse, and the calloused skin on his thumbs met with her softness, hidden from sight, revealed by him. Always him.

_No, God!_

She rose so abruptly that Jackson tripped backwards. She stood still, trembling and staring at him, then she gripped her glass and drank the rest of the content, her head thrown back. She wasn't a whisky person, but the sharp taste seemed to fit well with the tense atmosphere.

He stood slowly, regarding her, and when he opened his mouth to speak, she slammed the glass down on the table and dashed to the left of him, out into the corridor and into the bedroom, the closest room with a door, just about closing it when his foot snuck in and prevented her from shutting it.

The air left her with a loud gasp, and she pressed herself against the door from the inside, panting, not so much from the sprint as from what he'd been doing to her just a moment ago.

"Lisa," he said slowly. "Open the door."

_Yeah! Right!_

"No."

"Why?"

"Because." _You're too close!_

"That's not an answer."

"I don't care." _Go away!_

"You're not being reasonable."

She snorted. "And you are?"

"I think so. Yes."

"Well think again," she spat.

He was quiet for a moment. "Okay, Leese…" Then he shoved the door open with one violent thrust, making her stumble backwards, loosing her footing. "Have it your way, then."

"No!" she screamed, the shrill sound echoing in the room loud enough to wake the dead.

With one long stride, Jackson was on her, his hand clamping her mouth and preventing any further attention-seeking outbursts. _He'__llkillme__he'llkillme_ Her head spun from the sudden fear and her knees felt like they were about to fold any moment.

"I love you, Lisa, and I'm not leaving until you're coming with me."

"You don't-you what-you're not… you WHAT?" she cried into his palm.

He removed his hand and pulled her entirely into his embrace. She fit right in, like she'd always known she would.

"I love you, Lisa."

She didn't fight the arms holding her, or the lean, hard body pressed against hers, but her mind reeled from what he'd just said.

"You're… not gonna kill me?" she said to his shirt-clad chest.

"Ah!" he bellowed, sounding exasperated. "What the fuck? You WANT me to?"

"NO!" she croaked and cleared her throat. "No… no… But what was that other part?"

He loosened his hold and held her at an arms distance, regarding her, making her feel very much alive and at the same time like she would faint from the tension altogether.

"The 'love you' part?" he asked huskily and let his hands slide up to her neck, his thumbs rubbing the delicate skin. "Because I've been thinking about that a lot… to say it right, to-"

Lisa gave out a small squeal and jolted in his hold as he pulled her closer again, one of his hands finding the buttons at the front of her blouse, fiddling with the first one before he flipped it open.

"NO! Ehm… no… the other part. You said…"

"I know what I said," he countered calmly as he started to back her up against the side of the bed. "Tonight, I'm taking you with me."

The back of her knees hit the bed frame and she swayed a little, trying not to fall. "Ohhh, sure… I don't think so! Have you been eating mushrooms? What makes you think you can just 'take' me?"

"Leese," he said patiently. "What makes you think I can't?" Then his lips parted and his face split into a smile that made her heart melt.

_Oh!__ Oh My God!__ You're just JOKING!_

She was just going to say something like 'ha-ha', but the words got caught in her throat when he pushed her, following in a languid movement until she lay on her back and he was straddling her hips, his face once again so close that their noses were touching.

Her breath met his as they both panted and stared at each other.

"Kiss me," he whispered.

She frowned and bit her lips. GOD she wanted to, but she had been used for so long to live in solitude, both mentally as well as physically, and that barrier wasn't easy to break with just a few words in spite of eons of longing.

Jackson kicked it down instead. In one single blow.

When he lowered himself onto her, she had nowhere to go, and nothing else to do than to respond. His lips touched hers, asking a question, her lips quivered against his, answering, and then he descended fully on her mouth, sweeping her completely off her feet with the fierce passion with which he kissed her.

Deft fingers opened the remaining buttons in her blouse. She arched into him as his hand slid in between them to caress the areas on her skin he had touched the last time he was here, where the imprint of his hand on her breast - unwanted then, hungered for now - still lingered as an invisible burn mark.

Their bodies soon ended up as an entangled heap of limbs with chests heaving and cheeks flushing, the pile of discarded clothes next to them on the floor growing. Lisa groaned loudly when he bit her hard where the neck meets the shoulder and then gasped when he pulled her even tighter into his embrace, his passion so fierce, so demanding that all she could do was hang on for dear life.

Not that she was a lifeless rag doll herself… Jackson made her dare. The things they had gone through together made it impossible to resist the heat between them when it was finally set free. She wrestled him over on his back, still kissing passionately, and unbuttoned his shirt, his naked skin sending bolts through her hands as she spread her palms over his chest.

They stilled. Both at the exact same time.

_What? _

Jackson tensed. "What's that?"

"It… it's the doorbell…" _CYNTHIA!_

She pushed herself up and tried to stand, but Jackson gripped her wrist. "Are you expecting anyone?" He suddenly sounded wary.

"Eh, yeah… when you came I thought it was my friend… It must be her." Lisa stuttered slightly, suddenly mortified with what she'd been doing a moment ago. She tried to free herself from his hold and Jackson let her. They both stood.

"I have to open. She knows I'm home."

"You have to get rid of her."

"I can't."

He strode closer, all of a sudden making the air very hard to breathe again, his blue eyes glinting wickedly. "Yes, you can. You're a good liar, Leese. Make something up."

With a heart trying to beat her black and blue from the inside, she nodded and wrapped a robe around her. "Okay."

A widely smiling Cynthia held up a brand new issue of 'Cosmopolitan' and a bottle of white wine when Lisa opened.

"Hey you. Look what I got! The latest eye-candy, gossip, and fashion, all in a shiny wrap." Then her face turned into a frown. "How are you, Leese? You look terrible."

Lisa thanked heaven for her tousled hair and her flushed face. "I'm so sorry, Cynthia. I feel terrible. I just threw up in the toilet and my whole body aches." At least it was only a half lie… In the corner of her eye, she saw Jackson nod and grin smugly.

"Oh, my God. Do you need anything? Do you want me to come in anyway and take care of you?"

"No! Ehm, no… I wouldn't want you to catch anything. I'll be all right. I just need to sleep."

"Okay. What a shame. On Valentine's Day and all…"

_Yeaaahhhh__… what a shame…_ She couldn't help but cast a quick glance at the incredibly beautiful man who stood half naked in the shadow next to the door. If she stretched out her arm, she would touch him. If Cynthia took one step inside, she would see him.

"I have to go to bed." Not a lie either… _Good job, Leese. _

"Sure. Here, take this. It'll comfort you a little." Cynthia handed her the glossy magazine and Lisa took it.

"You're a doll. Good night."

"Take care."

"You too." Lisa shut the door quietly and sank to the floor trembling, her hand still on the door knob, the magazine falling heavily onto the carpet next to her. Her nerves were about to burst through her skin from the tension.

"Did you have to stand so close?" she hissed, looking up at Jackson.

"Had to make sure you didn't do anything peachy," he retorted, strolling closer.

"I thought we'd been making progress," she snarled.

"You think so, huh?" He pulled her to her feet and then lifted her effortlessly over his shoulder in a fireman's grip, carrying a squealing Lisa the few steps back to the bedroom. "Well see about that."

Unceremoniously dumping her on the bed, he then slowly crawled on top of her again, bending down and catching the belt to her robe with his teeth, pulling at it until it gave up and unfolded. The fabric fell apart and revealed a flat, pale belly and white panties. He dropped the cotton and let his teeth graze the soft skin, sending a wave of goosebumps travelling along her body until it made her toes curl. When he bit in, she screamed and was then sent into a laughing fit, banging at his head, squealing and begging him to stop. He didn't. He kept nibbling and biting while he caught her flailing arms and pressed them down on the bed on each side of her body. Soon her whole belly was flushed pink from all the tiny little bite marks and the only struggling she managed was the squirming attempts to get closer to him.

They had all the time in the world, and he was a far tenderer lover than she would have ever imagined. Not that she would have ever imagined him… as a lover… not at all…

_Liar__, Leese…_

"I love you, Lisa," he whispered huskily. "I want to make love to you tonight. I've waited so long… You are my soul mate, the one I never thought I'd find. You are the most beautiful, strongest, most intelligent, most stubborn, and most intriguing woman I've ever met. I knew from the first moment I lay my eyes on you that I was lost, that it needed to be you - or no one at all." His hands cradled her neck, his fingers entwined in the increasingly tousled tresses of her hair. Blue eyes roamed her face, seeking for even the slightest hint of rejection, looking desperately for acceptance. "I love you. I won't ever hurt you – again, and I'm so fucking sorry that I ever did. Please forgive me."

He kept repeating the beautiful words she so desperately needed to hear. That she'd needed to hear for so long that she'd almost thought they didn't exist for her any more. They soothed her torn soul and filled her empty heart with a new strength, the kind that came from knowing she wasn't alone any more.

Not alone any more.

_I love you, Jackson. _

The force in the emotion frightened her. It made her dizzy. Where would it take her? What would she do when he left?

_Oh, God! I don't want you to… _

They slept light, Jackson cradling Lisa from behind, his chest to her back, thighs to thighs, feet entangled. His hands kept caressing her even in his sleep. She had fallen asleep with a smile grazing her lips, and it was still there when she woke and felt his warm body pressed against hers, his breath on her neck and the soothing rise and fall of his chest.

He held her hand as she turned to face him, entwining his fingers with hers, his other hand softly pulling some strands of hair away from her face.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she echoed, unable to hold back the smile when her heart jolted with happiness.

_You're still here! _

He let go of her hand and laid his arm around her back, pulling her closer. "I love you," he mumbled into her hair, ruffling the tresses with his breath.

"I love you, too," she answered truthfully, finally giving voice to the words, her heart pounding hard from revealing the naked core within her that now lay at display, for him to accept – or not.

Jackson twitched and pulled away slightly so that they could see each other. He opened his mouth as if to speak, and then he closed it. Lisa was suddenly afraid that she had said too much, that she'd done something wrong.

_Damn you! _

His eyes glittered and she'd never seen such warmth in his features before.

"Marry me, Lisa."

She frowned, her heart skipping a beat. "No… I can't…"

"Marry me," he repeated calmly, a bashful smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he sat up and pulled her with him.

"But… we can't… I mean… how…?" His hands clutched hers, his fingers intertwined with her own, and she felt like never letting go.

"We'll work it out. Marry me." His eyes never let go of hers and her head spun from the huge change that had just taken place between them.

"I…"

"Marry me, Lisa. Do you want me on my knees?" He kept holding her hands and slid down from the bed, sinking down on one knee before her, looking up at her but still managing to look as if he was on top.

_You're insane! I love you! Jesus… I really do. _She started laughing. _Yes! __Goddamnit__, yes!_ It was probably completely insane. Irrational. Stupid. Mad. _What the heck!_ It was romantic. Beautiful. Sweet. True.

She nodded. "Okay… Yes. I will. YES." The smile on her face etched itself there as they regarded each other.

He stood and stretched out his hand. "Come."

She took it and followed him into his warm strong arms. "Where're we going?"

"I don't know. Where do you wanna go?"

"Steal me away, Jackson."

THE END


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